Don't bother with an amplilfied indoor antenna.

I would suggest replacing that old twin lead wire with a twin-lead-to-coax-adapter and run all new coax cable.

If your TV antenna really dates back that far, chances are good that it has poor UHF performance, and is probably corroded to the point where it only half-functions. The advice about replacing twin-lead cable with RG-6u coax cable is a good one. Your location will determine what kind of antenna and/or preamplifier you need, but remember that NO indoor antenna will ever perform as well as a properly installed outdoor antenna.

Try using this link: put in your information, and post the results link here, and we can advise you as to how to proceed.

Here is a link that might be useful: TV reception predictor

Hey, thanks for the responses!
And, maybe I was not clear, we are NOT considering an indoor antenna; the old one is on the roof now and we'll stay with roof top. We were advised by our local met-rec people to get an amplifier kit and would help our problem where the living room TV gets more channels than the kitchen TV (we are using a splitter). They described that you usually get two amplifiers in the box and you attach one close to the antenna balan and one indoors at the TV... does that sound right? Still wondering about how one changes out the flat cable that is attached to the old outdoor antenna to coaxial, if we keep the old antenna... maybe our electrician knows how. The indoor runs are all updated coaxial, it is just flat from the antenna to where it comes indoors. Suggestions for a model of new outdoor antenna that would work well for us are most welcome!

Finally, I'll reinterate that our line of sight to the translaters is very, very good. They are maybe less than 3 miles away on a mountaintop in clear sight of our rooftop without any trees, etc disrupting the view.

Below is the results link with my information.
Thanks, in advance, for any further advice you can give us!

Here is a link that might be useful: our house channel info

Thank you: Posting your TVFool.com scan tells me a LOT. While it is true that the transmitters are only a mile and a half away, they are all low-powered translator channels, designed to cover only a few miles, hence, the actual signal strength of the stations at your house is equivalent to living 35 or so miles from full-powered transmitters.

Yes, you definitely need to use an outdoor antenna in tis situation. If you are not currently using RG-6 coax cable, I strongly suggest that you change over your wire to coax cable, as twin-lead deteriorates badly after only a few years.

You have described a preamplifier in your original post, and a preamplifier will definitely help you when dealing with long cables and splitting signals to multiple TV sets. A preamplifier is NOT a substitute for a good antenna or good cabling, but, when the other antenna components are optimized, the preamp can make the difference between seeing a digital signal reliably and not seeing it at all.

As for changing over twin-lead to coax, the best bet is to use a bauln transformer, which attaches to the antenna terminals of the antenna and converts the cable at that point.

If this was my choice, I would use the following components: a NEW VHF-UHF antenna like a Winegard HD-7082P or a Channel Master Crossfire 3679. I would replace all the existing cabling with satellite-grade RG-6u coaxial cable, and use a high-gain preamplifier like a Winegard AP-8275 or a Channel Master Titan 7777. Use only a high quality, low-loss 1 gHz of better splitter with enough outlets to satisfy your needs in the household.

Once installed, this system will insure excellent long-term reception of all your local stations. Adding an antenna rotator will allow you to find stations from other locations, as well.

Check out these internet suppliers for antenna products:

http://www.solidsignal.com
http://www.summitsource.com
http://www.warrenelectronics.com
http://www.starkelectronic.com

Wow! Thank you, Tigerbangs. I think you have thoroughly answered every question I posed. I really appreciate your kindly sharing your expertise with us!

Those translator stations may still be transmitting an analog signal instead of a digital signal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Low Power TV Stations